Peter Mayhew has a spot in cinematic history as beloved Wookiee Chewbacca

Peter Mayhew played perhaps one of the most instantly recognisable characters in cinematic history but will have been able to walk down most streets without being accosted.

The British-American actor, who has died at the age of 74, was the man in the suit of Chewbacca, the giant furry Wookiee warrior from the Star Wars films.

A loyal friend of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Chewy, as he was affectionately known, served as the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon.

Peter Mayhew the actor who played Chewbacca in Star Wars, has died at the age of 74, his family has said (Ian West/PA)

Mayhew portrayed Chewbacca in five films, most recently in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Peter Mayhew was born on May 19 1944 in Barnes, London, according to the website of his foundation, and was the son of a policeman.

He was diagnosed with gigantism at the age of eight, his foundation says, though there are conflicting reports online and he was quoted in 2014 by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying he did not have the condition.

“There was an overactive pituitary gland… I had treatment when I was about 15 that slowed it down, they stopped it,” he is reported to have said.

Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, and Kenny Baker, who played R2D2, in Star Wars (Michael Stephens/PA)

After leaving school, Mayhew had a short stint working in engineering but left to work as an orderly at London’s King’s College Hospital.

It was here where his life would change forever. A reporter took a picture of Mayhew, who at his peak was 7ft 3ins, and it was published in the local newspaper.

In 1976, the snap was spotted by the producers of fantasy film Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger, and Mayhew was cast as the Minoton, a magical robotic bronze creature.

His career is showbiz was born.

After finishing filming Sinbad, Mayhew returned to his job at the hospital and after about a year was invited to audition for George Lucas, who was working on a film titled Star Wars.

Mayhew got the job and with it a place in cinematic history. Star Wars was released in 1977 and became the highest-grossing film of all time.

The film focuses on the efforts of Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker and Mayhew’s Chewbacca as they attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire’s space station, the Death Star.

Its sequels have grown the franchise’s popularity and it remains a pop culture phenomenon.

Mayhew starred as Wookiee warrior Chewbacca in Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Revenge Of The Sith (2005) and The Force Awakens (2015).